SLAP!

A crisp sound, of hand colliding with flesh, resonated in a large multi-storied house that was situated just a little bit outside of the Kuoh town.

“So you lost the cat!!?”

The shouted question, filled with vehement anger, was followed by another even more violent slap across the face of the young devil woman. Such was the force of the vicious smack that the one receiving it, Zest, despite her great resilience, couldn’t help but bleed a little from her nose, her lips also torn from the brutality delivered upon her beautiful visage.

Such was sure to be the case, as she had not used any defensive measures while her master infused his slap with his vast demonic energy.

“I beg your forgiveness.”

Even after the savage jostle, Zest's stoic expression did not crumble in the slightest. The pain delivered by a slap was nothing compared to some of the wounds she could and would receive on a battlefield. She was a being made for war and bloodshed, as such, she didn't mind the pain to a certain degree, or rather she couldn't let the pain get to her mind.

“You!”

Zolgear was further incensed by her reactionless 'daughter', but he huffed for a few times, got hold of his bearings and his ever surging wrath, and forced himself to calm down. He knew that getting angry or being spiteful with his rather useless servant wouldn’t change the situation they have at their hands, currently.

“Pfff! Who is frustrated now, dear Zolgear? Hehehe. It seems like I am not the only one who has a beef with the Red Dragon now. Don’t you think so?”

There… In the sickening laughs of the buffoon lay a prime reason why Zolgear was so angry. From Zest's report, it was clear that she had nearly succeeded in capturing the target, the dastardly cat was nigh in the palms of her hands, but had to back off because of the interference from the current wielder of the Boosted Gear.

Had it been any other human or any other being, in fact, this situation would have been a piece of cake for them. They would just need to eliminate the interference and take hold of their target — the injured Yokai. But when said interference was the son of Jin Toujou?

Zolgear shivered merely at the thought of angering said man.

Diodora on the other hand was looking at Zolgear with disdain freshly painted on his handsome face. As a young devil, with no more than a few hundred years of age to his name, he had never met Jin and thought that most of his feats were greatly exaggerated at best and completely outlandish and made up at worst.

Furthermore, even if they were the truth, so what?

“Oi Zolgear. Did you forget that we have the snakes with us? As long as we use it, what’s a measly Jin in front of their might?”

Zolgear solemnly nodded. Indeed since 'That being' was on their side, they had absolutely nothing and no one to fear in this world. Not even the monstrosity called Sirzechs Lucifer.

“Still, let’s proceed legally for now. There is no reason to blow up our cover when the rules and the circumstances are both on our side. After all, we aren’t the criminals here, are we?”

“True.”

Then shifting his focus on Zest, again, Zolgear nodded to himself and praised, “You did well in not fighting or taking any action against him. Now, we still have the high ground thanks to your swift and calm decision.”

He acted as if he hadn’t been beating and insulting her a few moments ago, as if the previous interactions between them never happened in the first place. But Zest was already used to such treatment, hence, she didn't mind them the least bit.

“Thank you, master. Your words are too kind. Tis my duty to serve you to the best of my wits and strength.”

Such was the disheartening reason why, like an automated robot, she answered like she always did — in her flat emotionless, yet obedient, tone.

Sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder when this monotone life she'd been 'living' would end…

——

“My oh my. It seems like Basara-sama cannot walk out without bringing a new guest nowadays.”

When Basara reached his home, at last, such was the sarcastic fashion, Lucia greeted him with at the beginning. Of course, the moment she realized that Basara was covered in dirt and blood, she immediately put away her sarcastic expression and bowed slightly before proceeding to do the next logical course of action.

“I will call Asia.”

She knew that Basara wasn’t the wounded one here. She didn’t need to ask either what that cat was or where he had found it. Since Basara brought a wounded cat home, it meant that he wanted to save it from its deathly fate.

Any other questions could be asked at a later time and date.

“I am here.”

“Asia!?”

Asia hurriedly walked out of the kitchen as she nervously stood in front of him. The reason Basara had exclaimed, at seeing her form, was that she was clad in nothing but a pink frilly apron as well as a pair of pink panties.

Giving a look at Lucia who simply looked away while whistling nonchalantly, as though the sight before him had nothing to do with her, he could only sigh the next moment and decidedly opted to not berate her for now.

“Help me with the cat.”

Asia didn’t need any other orders. While Basara was holding the black cat in his cradling arms, a golden light emerged from her hand and covered the cat in its softly glowing embrace as well as Basara.

‘Impressive.’

Basara had received no wounds aside from some small bruises but the cat, that had been at death's step, began to sleep, snoring soundly with a relaxed stance, as if nothing had happened to it.

Basara watched in real-time as the deadly wounds marred across its black-furred body were healed in a few seconds.

“Your power…”

Asia merely nodded as she took away her hand from their place slowly. “I do not know how, but it seems like holy power got mixed into my sacred gear.”

Basara frowned a little at the revelation, only for Lucia to relieve him of his worries.

“Do not worry Basara-sama. The holy power did nothing aside from reinforcing Asia's healing powers. She is still able to heal devils without any problems.”

‘This should… not be possible.’ 

Basara shook his head, shaking off his straying thoughts. They could think about the bizarre things later.

“I have been attacked.”

Keeping the cat in his arms, Basara took a seat and began to explain his situation to the two of them.

He explained how he was embroiled in the attack as well as the skillset of the one that attacked him.

It was clear that the one who pulled off the dastardly attack was a very skilled fighter and a pretty powerful one to boot. 

Now the question was?

“What do we do with this cat?”

At the end of the day, the situation was still unclear to them. Just because Basara saved the cat did not mean that it would be grateful to him. 

Lucia thought for a bit. She wanted to inspect the dream of the cat but in the end, decided against it. Dream manipulation wasn’t something to be done lightly.

Since the one that attacked Basara was someone powerful, it was logical to think that the cat that could escape from it wasn’t that much weaker either.

This was different from the rabbling bunch she had dealt with not long ago. Those fallen angels had been so weak that there had been absolutely no risks nor any need for cautious thoughts to disarm them with her dream manipulation.

“Since we saved her. I believe we should at least take care of her until the end. But we shouldn’t take things lightly.”

Basara didn’t think that he was the hero type. Selflessness for strangers was never his strong suit. But he wasn’t an unfeeling monster either. There would still be moments when he would help those in need, even if it meant sending himself in danger. He was… contradictory, to say the least.

“Still, just to be sure. Tonight I want Lucia to sleep with Asia. As for me, I will sleep with the Cat in my bedroom. With Asia’s treatment, it should be up by morning so we will bid it goodbye if nothing happens. Of course, if something does happen—”

Basara didn’t need to say what he would do if something of the sort happened. His kindness was limited, after all, more so when it meant putting his loved ones in danger as well.